Chapter 40: Nightmare vs strength

Naruto dropped his arms over his shoulders as he let out a long sigh. Toru was too strong, of that there was no doubt. But was he really strong enough to make Kabuto give up?

(It doesn't make sense...)

Naruto scratched his head in thought. He had seen Kabuto's true strength, he was sure he could have put up a better fight. Although it's not like he's upset either, Toru has advanced to the final exam and that's somewhat surprising.

(Still, he was able to beat Kabuto. I'm sure if there's a fight between Sasuke and Toru it would be a complete massacre).

With some heavy thoughts in his mind, Naruto leaned his arms on the metal bar and looked at Toru.

"Yakushi Kabuto has surrendered. Asahi Toru is the victor, advance to the final exam."

Hayate raised his hand high, making the winner clear.

"Toru-kun, well done!"

Hinata said, but when she realized that she had literally shouted, her face was painted a deep red. Even though she was embarrassed, she wanted to see Toru's reaction.

At the same time, Toru raised her hand, looked at Hinata with a neutral expression and said:

"Thank you."

It was simply that, a single word and a small hand gesture. But that was enough to make Hinata's heart warm up nicely.

In response to that, a small smile formed on Hinata's mouth. Her face was still flushed, but this only made her look cuter than she already was.

(There they go again...)

Just a meter away from Hinata, stood Ino. For some reason she was feeling annoyed, but her discomfort disappeared when Toru took a leap and landed on the metal bar, right in front of her.

"Hmph, what do you want, a kiss on the forehead?"

No, definitely not. Ino was still still annoyed for no reason. Still, Toru kept the serene expression on his face and replied.

"No need."

After saying that, Toru stepped down from the metal bar and walked a little closer to Hinata. She was still embarrassed about a few seconds ago, so she kept quiet.

"Well... since the second fight ended quickly. It's time to move on. I don't have to explain how the names will be chosen, so let's just look at the screen."

He looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes on his face could be seen with quality, moreover, his voice sounded muffled. But Hayate's health is something that others don't care a bit about.

Following the above, everyone looked at the screen and the names began to move randomly. Just a second step, the names of the following participants have been chosen.

Hoki Hakuto vs Onikuma Enko

"Yes! It's my turn!"

Enko was excited, only fifteen minutes passed, but it was already her turn. In the end she didn't have to wait long.

Meanwhile, Hakuto hid behind Shikamaru. She knew that Enko has tremendous strength and is very skilled when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, this made him feel afraid.

Using genjutsu against someone who uses only physical strength could bring advantages, but likewise, for Hakuto the disadvantage was in his physical strength. Even if he managed to make Enko fall into genjutsu, he would not be able to do anything to her if he tried to hit her. The only option he would have is to use a sharp weapon to end his opponent's life, but doing something like that is something Hakuto could not afford.

"I... I think I'm going to give up."

Hakuto looked at the ground sadly, but Shikamaru just let out a sigh and with a tired tone of voice replied.

"Hakuto, I think this is your chance to stop being such a coward. If you get through this it could be said that you would be the strongest of the team."

Although they were just empty words, Hakuto felt motivated enough to be able to go to the fight. But there was something else that motivated her to go through with it. Hakuto is in love with Shikamaru, but unfortunately, her feelings will never be reciprocated.

(I still have to try...)

Patting his cheeks, Hakuto slowly walked down the stairs until he reached the fighting arena.

"She's going to lose, isn't she?" Chouji said as he shoveled some food into his mouth.

"It's possible, yes, but I don't know."

They knew, if Hakuto wasn't able to use her skills properly, she would most likely be defeated pathetically.

(Hm... That girl is undoubtedly strong, however.... Ha~ it's hard to talk to her)

Right next to Shikamaru, a man sighed as he placed his arms on the metal bar. This man's name is Asuma, the Jounin in charge of Shikamaru's team.

"Don't worry, Hakuto-chan. I'll make sure not to hurt you."

With a beaming smile on her face, Enko looked at Hakuto. However, the Hoki clan girl simply shrugged her shoulders and looked at the ground with a worried expression.

"Let's not waste any more time, it's time to start the third fight of the preliminary trials."

Hayate moved a little closer to the two participants. He looked them in the eyes, and then started the fight.

"Begin!"

Having said that, Hayate jumped backwards away from the participants. At the same time, Enko launched into the attack.

"Wow, how agile you are!"

While throwing meaningless punches, Enko looked at her opponent with a smile. She was a little impressed by the way he dodged her punches, but that was all it was.

(Let's increase the speed) Enko thought as she increased the force and speed of her punches.

(¡¿?!)

Hakuto had no time to react, all he could do was to receive the strong blows while covering his face with his arms.

"Ahg!"

The girl recoiled due to the strong punch she received in the stomach. She remained silent for a few seconds before falling to her knees on the ground.

Seeing this, Shikamaru's face changed to an expression of disgust. Likewise, everyone in the place had different reactions except for Toru, who just kept watching silently.

(Hm... Having a body like Hakuto's, dodging Enko's attacks should be easy. If what I've seen in these past ten seconds is correct, Enko's speed is very low. So it shouldn't be a problem, but...)

*Drip...*

Tears fell, to seconds later dissolve on the ground. These tears belong to Hakuto.

(I think I used more force than I should have).

Enko looked at the girl in front of her. Hakuto was touching his abdomen while tears were sliding down his cheeks.

(It hurts... it hurts a lot...)

Many of the ninjas in the place looked at Hakuto with disappointment, especially the Hokage, who only closed his eyes while letting out a small cloud of smoke from his mouth

"Ha! Hakuto is too weak, it's obvious that the victory is Enko's" Kiba said.

"It's a pitiful result. At the end of it all, he had the bad luck."

Like Kiba, Shino had already accepted his teammate's victory. But with Shikamaru and Chouji it was different, as they knew something about Hakuto that no one else knows.

On the other hand, team Kakashi had a different opinion than Kiba's team.

"That's unfair..."

"Yeah, I think so too. It's like pitting a bunny against a tiger..."

It was undoubtedly a pitiful fight, Hakuto was crying in the middle of the fighting arena, that was something uncomfortable for everyone. Also, Hayate felt that he had to stop this fight, but what Enko did next prevented that.

"Hakuto you should give up. I don't want you to get hurt."

Enko smiled as she extended her hand. Hakuto looked up and extended his hand as well, but this caused a grim look to form on Shikamaru's face after all....

"You fell..."

As he held Enko's hand, the look in Hakuto's eyes changed, for some reason in his gaze there was... darkness.

(It was getting late...)

No one else knew this except for Shikamaru's team. The truth is that between Hakuto and Enko, there is something that those two girls have in common, and that is the way they can change their personalities. It's like they are two sides of the same coin.

"Huh! Kya!"

Taking advantage of their hands being clasped together, Hakuto pushed Enko causing her to fall to the ground, just a second later, her lips moved forming words.

"Nemutte iru akumu: Kyōfu no kasumi [Sleeping Nightmare: Mist of Terror]"

As if those words had ripped out his eyes, Enko lost the ability to see completely. All he could perceive was a vast fog and an overwhelming silence that sent shivers down his spine.

(I can't see anything!)

Enko tried to regain his vision. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, however, nothing happened, his vision remained the same.

No matter what she did, if she ran as far as her legs would let her, if she screamed for help, nothing worked, there was only her and the fog that prevented her from seeing.

(What is this...?)

Enko scratched her head, she was sure that a moment ago she was fighting Hakuto, but now, she was in this strange place.

"Huh? Red?"

Feeling something wet touching her feet, Enko looked down at the ground.

Crimson red, that's what he saw. Like a small stream, the crimson red was coming from one place.

Enko walked slowly until he reached the source of this 'crimson red' that was watering on the ground. But what he found...

"Old man?"

Enko's eyes widened in horror. What was giving off that bright crimson red color was the lifeless body of Enko's father.

"Old man! Wake up! I'm sure this is another one of your stupid pranks!"

Tears ran down Enko's cheeks, as he tried to find a small glimmer of hope in his father's corpse. But she found nothing, only the lifeless expression of the man Enko once called 'father'.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! Otto-chan!!!! Please!!! Help me!!!"

Enko screamed and cried. She didn't know what to do, the crimson red had stuck to her clothes, the tears evened her face.

"This is not real... It's not real! You old fool, there's no way you can die!"

Hugging his father's corpse a few last tears fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, everyone watched the scene with shocked faces on their faces.

The expression on Hakuto's face was as cold as ice. His hands were clasped together as he formed the seal of the ram with his fingers. And in front of her, was Enko, kneeling on the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"He finally did it, huh..."

A nervous smile formed on Shikamaru's mouth, after all he had already seen that jutsu.

"Hm... I think I lost my appetite."

Like Shikamaru, Chouji felt nervous when he saw Hakuto use the Hoki clan's genjutsu. After all he was one of the lucky ones who had the chance to be in that genjutsu.

"Shikamaru, Chouji. You should know by now, that because of that genjutsu Hakuto could become one of the best kunoichi..." Asuma said.

"Yeah, I don't want her to ever use that

genjutsu on me..." Chouji said. But this made a small smile form on Shikamaru's mouth.

"Why, is it because you peed your pants when Hakuto showed you your nightmare?"

"I told you that's a secret!"

Nemutte iru akumu [Sleeping nightmare] The quintessential jutsu of the Hoki clan. This genjutsu is something special, as it is able to show the enemy their worst fears. That is what is happening with Enko at the moment.

But this genjutsu has a flaw. Only someone with a strong will or sense of reality could free himself from this genjutsu.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The voice in Enko was heard on the spot, at the same time, a small drop of blood fell to the ground, forming a circle of black ink. A second later, a cloud of smoke covered Enko.

"Kuma!"

When the smoke vanished, a small bear appeared. Its fur was shiny and brownish, its claws were a little sharp, and its eyes glowed a pretty amber color.

"A little bear?"

Hakuto's cold personality disappeared when he saw a small bear on the battlefield.

"Kuma!"

The little bear kept repeating the same words until he realized that Enko was acting weird.

"Kuma?"

The teddy bear looked at Enko. She had her eyes closed, some tears on her cheeks and was apparently trembling with fear.

The teddy bear looked at the ground with a neutral expression, then climbed on the girl's head and covered her eyes with its little paws.

"Kuma..."

Everything that was happening was very strange, but Kiba and Shino didn't seem to be affected by this.

(That's the famous summoning jutsu. Being able to summon an allied beast later anywhere can be very useful.)

Despite everything he had seen, the only things Toru took into account were Hakuto's genjutsu and Enko's summoning jutsu.

"Huh...? What's going on?"

Enko had apparently managed to get out of the genjutsu, but the teddy bear was still covering her eyes.

"Kuma!"

"Kumagoro?"

Hearing her friend's voice, a smile formed on Enko's mouth. Her friend had saved her once again.

"Kuma!"

"Haha... thank you, friend."

"Kuma."

"Yeah, I know. You saved me again, we'll eat a lot of meat when we get home."

"Kuma!"

She had a slight smile on her face, her body still trembling with fear, but she still got up from the ground as her friend covered her eyes.

"Kumagoro, you will be my eyes in this fight."

"Kuma!"

Hakuto opened her eyes not knowing what to do. She knew the conditions that had to be met in order to get out of the Hoki clan's genjutsu, but that Enko was able to get out easily was something that left her shocked.

(Shikamaru... You told me that I'm strong. But I can only be strong when I'm afraid, even so... I'll give my best.)

Seeing the girl with the bear on her head approaching, Hakuto took the fighting stance he hadn't used a few months ago and prepared for the real fight.

[Fight time: 4.36 minutes.

Who has the upper hand: Hoki Hakuto]

______

The battle arena was in complete silence, everyone kept quiet as they looked closely at the two kunoichi.

"Kumagoro, you will be my eyes in this fight."

Hakuto looked at Enko, she didn't understand how that girl had managed to get out of the genjutsu. But now, she didn't have to overthink things too much.

(Let yourself be carried away by the moment... close your eyes and think about the things that terrify you. Then... only then will you be able to be strong.)

Clenching his fists tightly, Hakuto closed his eyes. He thought about the different outcomes this fight would have. He could no longer use his genjutsu, since Enko has his eyes covered, so the only thing he could do was to use taijutsu.

"What you did to me scared me quite a bit. I never thought you were so cruel, Hakuto-chan."

"Kuma!"

The bear on top of Enko's head raised its paw and let out a small growl.

"Now that I can't see, it will be harder to fight. So I guess you have the advantage."

Having her eyes completely covered, it was difficult for Enko to be able to see, but that didn't make her any less dangerous. At the end of it all, she trained herself to use brute force.

Returning to the above, Enko went on the attack.

"Here I come, Hakuto-chan!"

"Kuma!"

Without a second thought, Enko started throwing punches. Thanks to Kumagoro, who was directing her friend's head, Enko was able to move more freely.

One after another, Enko's punches were charged with power and strength. Still, for Hakuto it was not so much of a problem to dodge them. Because Enko was a bit slow and her punches were a bit clumsy due to the fact that her eyes were covered.

(Using the bear for guidance is a good technique. When the enemy is a ninja who uses genjutsu as a weapon, keeping the eyes closed may be the best option. But this is where the disadvantage comes in, you won't be able to perform your attacks well. Unless someone else guides you in the course of the fight).

Toru kept quiet and his arms folded. He was carefully analyzing the movements of the kunoichi in front of him. At the same time, Hinata and Ino looked at Toru, who seemed to have a somewhat dangerous look.

Ino was sure that Toru was planning shady things in his mind. Although that was far from reality. But with Hinata it was different, who just watched Toru's face as she tried to guess what her teammate was thinking.

"Kuma!"

"Kya!"

Taking advantage of his enemy's weakness, Hakuto kicked Enko's feet, causing him to fall to the ground.

(Shit! This is too hard, I can't predict where he'll be).

Enko seemed to be in trouble. Because Hakuto was trained as a silent assassin, her feet didn't make noises when she moved, and this was only going to get worse the further the fight progressed.

"Kumagoro, if the fight continues like this, we'll have no choice but to use the jutsu."

"Kuma!"

Hearing that Kiba and Shino were surprised. But a second later, their faces changed to a nervous expression.

"I don't think it's a good idea to use that jutsu."

A bead of sweat slid down Kiba's forehead. Just thinking about what would happen if Enko uses that mysterious jutsu made chills run down his spine.

(A jutsu? Hm... What do I do now? I didn't think Enko is going to use ninjutsu. This is only getting worse. Besides, I spent too much chakra when I used [Nemutte iru akumu].)

Hakuto staggered as he tried to stand up.

(I'm getting tired really fast. I don't know what to do...).

"Don't get distracted!"

Appearing in front of her, Enko threw a punch that managed to connect with Hakuto's face. This sent the girl back a few meters as she rolled on the ground.

After that, Hakuto got up with difficulty, his face was reddened from the blow he received and a small drop of blood was coming out of his nose.

(Blood...?)

Hakuto's eyes widened in horror, blood was pouring out of his body. Red and bright, as painful as hell.

*Goteo...*

Tears welled up again from Hakuto's tear ducts, again fear invaded his system. His body reacted instantly and he fell to his knees on the ground. The scene of Hakuto crying on the ground was as pathetic as the beginning of this fight.

*Goteo...

More tears came out, at the same time mixing with the blood coming out of Hakuto's nose.

"Oh, no..."

Enko heard Hakuto's sobs, this time he did manage to hurt her. But right now, she couldn't trust this girl, since....

"There she goes again."

The look in Shikamaru's eyes changed, after everything this girl has suffered, the only thing her heart hides is... darkness.

"Seriously, she's scary when she's like this..."

Shikamaru scratched his head as he looked at Hakuto, who had gotten up from the ground.

His hair covered his eyes, blood was coming out of his nose as it mixed with Hakuto's dried tears. All this provoked different reactions from the spectators.

The way this girl was changing her personality was scary, even the Hokage thought so. But there was no time to be surprised, as the next one to go on the attack was Hakuto.

"Kuma! Kuma!"

Kumagoro stopped covering Enko's eyes and shouted desperately to warn him. Enko noticed instantly, so she opened her eyes.

(Eh...?)

All he could see was a horror movie looking girl with a kunai in her hands. But Enko didn't have that much time to stare, as Hakuto tried to stab her numerous times.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait!"

Enko tried to dodge the attacks, but it was impossible. Each time the edge of the kunai was closer to her body. This made that feeling of fear take over Enko.

She had no other choice, there was no other way to end this, she had to do it, she had to use the jutsu.

"Kumagoro, let's use the jutsu before they cut my throat!"

"K-kuma..."

"Hurry up, or do you want us to get killed?"

"Kuma!"

Taking a big leap backwards, Enko prepared to do her jutsu. At the same time, Kumagoro took a leap landing on the ground in front of her friend.

"Now! Put your claws together!"

"Kuma!"

After saying that, Enko bit his finger letting a few drops of blood fall to the ground, likewise, a large circle of ink appeared under his feet. Everyone managed to see it clearly. A great current of wind began to surround them. A second later, like a small tornado, smoke began to cover the place.

"Onikuma clan's secret jutsu: Summon possession!"

Kumagoro's eyes glowed brightly as he was covered by the smoke, the same happened to Enko. But Hakuto would not allow her to finish the jutsu, so he lunged forward with the kunai in hand, but....

Out of the smoke came something, it had large arms and its eyes glowed brightly. Its fangs were a bit sharp and its hair covered its eyes.

Hakuto stopped the instant he saw the monster emerge from the smoke.

She saw it clearly, it was much taller and seemed to be having trouble breathing, as it was breathing through its mouth.

"Ha..."

It was like seeing a real bear in front of her, but at the end of it all, it was Enko who had turned into a monster.

*Boom!

Hakuto didn't have time to react, it was as if a gigantic rock had hit her, so hard was the blow that Hakuto was thrown against the wall that delimited the fighting arena.

"Damn, how was he able to do that!"

Shikamaru still couldn't believe it, how much force does it take to send someone flying off like that?

"They should stop the fight..."

Kiba's voice boomed. When Shikamaru turned around, he could see the expression the boy with the dog on his head had, there was guilt on his face.

"I know this is weird, but... I suggest you guys do it before Enko kills Hakuto..."

"What!"

Shikamaru opened his eyes, he didn't know what to do, everything was moving too fast. But he didn't have time to think of anything, as a scream echoed through the place.

"Ahhhh!"

Enko was crushing Hakuto's head with his foot. His look was grim and he had a creepy smile on his mouth. A few drops of saliva fell to the ground as Hakuto tried to keep his skull from shattering into a thousand pieces. But it was impossible, Enko had too much strength, he couldn't even move from where he was, he couldn't put up any resistance.

This is why Kiba felt guilty, after all he knew that when Enko uses that jutsu she loses control of herself completely, and it is difficult to return her to normal.

"Please... stop."

Tears fell to the ground. Hakuto could not resist any longer. But apparently, Enko didn't want to end the fun, as she lifted Hakuto off the ground holding her by the neck.

Hakuto tried to break free, but he was not strong enough.

(I guess... this fight already has a winner).

Letting out a tired sigh, Toru folded his arms. From his point of view, this fight was pitiful and pathetic. Watching Hakuto and Enko fight was like watching a bizarre comic theater monologue. Enko was falling into Hakuto's traps and vice versa.

Even Hayate was ready to put an end to this fight. But the truth was that he couldn't find a way to stop her, he was sure that if he got close he would end up buried in the ground. But to his good fortune, Yamato looked at him as if he understood his intentions.

So, with a long sigh, Yamato put his hands together and from the ground came out roots, which immobilized Hakuto.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!"

Enko struggled to free himself, but he was not strong enough to break Yamato's jutsu.

"Ha~ this looks really bad..."

Hayate approached Hakuto. The poor girl was completely mangled, some of her broken bones could be seen with the naked eye. Blood covered her body and dried tears mixed with the crimson red liquid.

"Well... Hoki Hakuto can no longer continue, the winner is Onikuma Enko, advance to the final exam."

"Let go of me!"

Even if she had been declared the winner, Enko still wanted to continue fighting, she wanted to destroy her prey, but that was just strange thoughts generated by the possession summoning jutsu.

"Let me help you!"

Appearing behind Hayate, Asuma approached the bear girl.

"You've hurt my student and that makes me angry. But, since this is a fight to the death, I guess I'll let it go."

Raising his arm high, Asuma delivered a blow to Enko's head, which instantly knocked her unconscious. At the same time, the roots went back into the ground, causing Enko to fall on her face.

*Puff*

A small cloud of smoke covered Enko. After a few seconds when the smoke disappeared, Enko could be seen next to his bear friend, both of them were unconscious.

"Ready..." Asuma said, to seconds later approach his student.

(Hm... you should take a break. You've worked too hard.)

Asuma sat down next to his student and there he waited for the medical ninja to appear. And from above, Shikamaru and Shino watched in silence.

"That was... very intense..."

All the things that had happened in this fight had left Hinata with a strange sense of fear. She didn't know how a ninja could achieve such tremendous strength, though she had seen someone stronger, obviously.

On the other hand, every time Ino saw blood she remembered that day. The look in Toru's eyes, it was very similar to Enko's look when she used the possession summoning jutsu.

"Ha~ everything is so stressful."

Ino rested her arms on the metal bar. But there was no time to relax, as Hayate was ready to announce the next participants.

"Well, since this fight lasted longer than expected, we'll have to pick up the pace a little more. So, pay attention, the names of the following participants."

When Hayate finished speaking, everyone looked at the screen. A second later, the names began to move randomly until they stopped at the names of the next participants.

Haruno Sakura vs Yamanaka Ino.

The two girls looked at the screen all at once to make sure their eyesight was not failing. Indeed, the next contestants were these two 'friends'.

[Summary of the third fight:

Hoki Hakuto vs Onikuma Enko

Time: 7.24 minutes

Winner: Onikuma Enko

Finishing blow: Bear claw].